I went in to talk to Dr.Larrabee about the method he would use to expand my 7 year old's palate to correct her malocclusion. He uses braces whereas nearly every other orthodontist uses a rapid palate expander. Even though using braces to expand the palate is over 3X more expensive and takes twice as long, I came there to learn about it.
Dr. Larrabee seemed proud and didn't like being questioned. He took on a defensive tone when I asked if there were any published studies in The Journal of Orthodontics supporting using braces to pull the palate apart. In a condescending manner as if he were saying something obvious to a backward person, he said, "Yeah, look them up on the internet." I found his defensiveness strange. I interpreted It as a lack of confidence in his unpopular method. He could only support his method with his opinions.
To me he seemed like a salesman, selling himself directly to my child. He spoke primarily to her; "We're going to do this...." he would say to her enthusiastically. Or "Would you like......." Even the office is set up to be enthralling to a kid. But Dr. Lararabee made me feel like my questions and concerns were irritating. He wanted to close the sale and I wasn't responding like a wide-eyed child.
I then went to another dentist (see my other review) who uses the only method recommended by the AAO. I questioned him in the exact same manner as I had Dr. Larrabee. The other orthodontist said "I will find articles in the Journal of Orthodontics for you, since you will not have access to those studies on your own." He not only took the time to explain his experiences and conclusions about the two methods, but found the articles and emailed them to me, Needless to say, I chose the other doctor.